Senior Network Engineer

AOI; Sugar Land (TX); On-site; USD 110,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Relocation assistance

Health plan options

401K match

Generous PTO

Job summary

Applied Optoelectronics, Inc (AOI) is seeking a Senior Network Engineer to own AOI's network and security stack across multiple environments in Sugar Land, TX. The role is hands-on, focusing on design, deployment, configuration, and ongoing administration of network and security systems.

The candidate will work with Cisco routers, switches, and firewalls, site-to-site and remote-access VPNs, and monitoring platforms in a multi-site manufacturing setting.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in computer science or related field.
• 7+ years in network design, implementation, troubleshooting, and performance tuning.
• LAN and VOIP knowledge relevant to multi-site manufacturing.
• Experience with Cisco routers, switches, and firewalls—both hardware and software configurations.
• Strong written and spoken communication for cross-team collaboration.

Responsibilities

• Designs, configures, maintains, and coordinates LAN/WAN over Site-to-Site VPN.
• Maximizes network performance by monitoring, troubleshooting, and upgrading as needed.
• Secures network systems by enforcing policies and access controls.
• Updates and maintains all network documentation and optimizes it over time.
• Reports network status and manages related projects and tasks.
• Keeps knowledge current through training, publications, and professional networks.

Skills

LAN Knowledge

VOIP Knowledge

Cisco Routers

Cisco Switches

Cisco Firewalls

Network Design

Network Troubleshooting

Budget Tracking

Project Management

Education

Bachelor's degree in computer science

Tools

Cisco IOS

Monitoring Tools

MS Office Documentation

Job description

The MIS team is responsible for the design, reliability, and security of the network infrastructure supporting 24/7 manufacturing operations, enterprise systems, and secure cross-site connectivity. We are seeking a Senior Network Engineer who will take technical ownership of AOI's network and security stack and play a critical role in ensuring high availability, performance, and security across all environments.

This is a hands-on, infrastructure-focused role centered on the design, deployment, configuration, and ongoing administration of network and security systems. The successful candidate will work extensively with Cisco routers, switches, and firewalls, site-to-site and remote-access VPNs, and network monitoring and alerting platforms in a multi-site manufacturing environment.

Responsibilities

• Designs, configures, maintains, and coordinates the use of customer's Local Area and Wide Area Networks over Site-to-Site VPN.
• Maximizes network performance by monitoring performance; troubleshooting network problems and outages; scheduling upgrades; collaborating with network architects on network optimization.
• Secures network system by establishing and enforcing policies; defining and monitoring access.
• Updates and maintains all documentation requested by management and will be tasked with improving such documentation as required.
• Accomplishes information systems and organization mission by completing related results as needed.
• Reports network operational status by gathering, prioritizing information; managing projects.
• Updates job knowledge by participating in educational opportunities; reading professional publications; maintaining personal networks; participating in professional organizations.

Qualifications

Candidates must be authorized to work in the United States. Visa sponsorship is not available for this position.

Required:

• Bachelor's degree in computer science or related program
• 7+ years’ experience in Tracking Budget Expenses, Project Management, Network Design and Implementation, Network Troubleshooting, Network Hardware Configuration, Network Performance Tuning
• LAN Knowledge & VOIP Knowledge
• Knowledge of Cisco Routers, Switches, Firewalls – Software and Hardware Configurations
• Strong verbal and written communication skills for effective collaboration between team members

Preferred:

• Proficiency in Microsoft Suite for project documentation and reporting
• Bilingual in Mandarin is preferred
• CCNA Certification is a plus

This position is full-time and based in Sugar Land, Texas. This location has a combination of office, warehouse, and cleanroom manufacturing work environments.

• Business Hours for this position are 9am to 6pm CT, Monday through Friday.
• This position may require occasional after-hours response for critical facility issues, site inspections, or executive events.

Why AOI?

In addition to competitive salary, AOI offers:

• Flexible and competitive health (medical, dental, vision) plans offer the employee with the right options to meet individual and family needs
• Employer matching on 401(k) deferrals
• Generous PTO policy, with unused PTO payout at end of the year
• Relocation packages available within the United States.

Applied Optoelectronics, Inc (AOI) is committed to providing equal opportunity in all of our employment practices, including hiring, placement, promotion, training, transfer and compensation, to all qualified applicants and employees without regard to race, color, national origin, citizenship, religion, sex, veteran status, age, disability, marital status, or any other category protected by State or U.S. Federal law. Moreover, we endeavor to treat our employees fairly.